Adil Najam
Salman Taseer – Governor Punjab, businessman, media mogul, PPP leader – was gunned down outside a restaurant in Kohsar Market, Islamabad, by one of his own guards. The guard – reportedly, a Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri – was part of the security Elite Force depute assigned to keep Salman Taseer safe gunned down the Punjab Governor with as many as 27 bullets. Later the guard handed himself to the police and said that he had killed Salman Taseer because of his vocal opposition to the Blasphemy Law.
Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri may have pulled the trigger but let us all hang our head in shame today because Salman Taseer was killed by the intolerance, the hatred, the extremism, the vigilantism, the violence and the jahalat that now defines our society. He was killed by the unchecked abundance of false sanctimony where custodians of morality have been breathing fire and instigating violence. Each one of us, including his own party, should be ashamed today for having tolerated the pall of intolerance that has eventually gunned down this man. Today’s Pakistan is defined by Mumtaz Hussain Qadris. They exist all around us. And it is all of us who tolerate them and their intolerance. It is this tolerance of intolerance that kills.
Today, it claimed yet one more victim.
Just as one example of many that we should have been paying heed to already, it was less than a month ago that a dispicable man in Peshawar was publicly offering money to anyone who would murder in the name of the blasphemy law. The news flashed on the media. Was highlighted in disgust by those like us. Yet, no action was taken; indeed, not even note was taken by those in power. It was ignored as mere ‘josh i khitaabat’ and emotionalism. It was obviously more. The tragedy is that there are too many like this man. Are people like him not responsible for spreading hatred and the results of that hatred? People instigating violence. People celebrating violence. People supporting violence. All of these people are responsible for Salman Taseer’s death. As are all of those who have stood silent and let these merchants of violence sell their wares. (Full story here).
At one level the details of what exactly happened in Islamabad today are less important than what we have allowed to happen in our societies for all the years that have led to this day, but for those who may not have seen the (still developing) details, here is an update from Dawn:
Gunmen killed the governor of Pakistan’s Punjab province, a senior member of the ruling party, in Islamabad on Tuesday, his spokesman said. “Yes, he has died,” said the spokesman for Salman Taseer. Police official Mohammad Iftikhar said Taseer was gunned down by one of his elite security force protectors. Five other people were wounded as other security personnel responded to the attack. Police said earlier Taseer had been shot nine times and wounded near his Islamabad home in the F6 sector and close to Kohsar market, a popular shopping and cafe spot frequented by wealthy Pakistanis and expatriates.
Another police official, Hasan Iqbal, said a pair of witnesses told the police that as the governor was leaving his vehicle, a man from his security squad fired at him. Taseer then fell, while other police officials fired on the attacker. In recent days, as the People’s Party has faced the loss of its coalition partners, the 56-year-old Taseer has insisted that the government will survive. But it was his stance against the blasphemy laws that apparently led to his killing.
Interior Minister Rahman Malik told reporters that the suspect in the case had surrendered to police and told them he killed Taseer because “the governor described the blasphemy laws as a black law.” Taseer was believed to be meeting someone for a meal, Malik said. Other members of his security detail were being questioned, Malik said. The security for Taseer was provided by the Punjab government. “We will see whether it was an individual act or someone had asked him” to do it, Malik said of the attacker.
sonali – i am a very liberal person, who does not believe in god, let alone religion. and i say this so that you may understand that i have no problems with hindus, indeed, i wish india nothing but the best.
and if you feel the same, i would hope , really, really hope, that your dire prediction for pakistan never comes to fruition. not only that, if you love and care for india, you should hope that pakistan becomes just like india, or even surpasses india rapidly on way to becoming a forward looking, liberal, modern capitalist society, where women and minorities are treated as equal.
why?
so that india may continue on her path to prosperity peacefully. think about it – as any half wit analyst will tell you, if pakistan destabilises further, india will witness capital flight, leading to economic downturn, which will further lead to political problems, heretofore unseen.
were it up to me, i would be willing to give a up a percentage point of indian gdp to ensure pakistan gets on the right track.
Taseer in his last interview at GCU;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vHzqSWuugs
“If I’m not going to stand on my consciences…who will?”
An extremely well off man died and condemned for an extremely poor woman. A sign of integrity, in another time or place, and sadly lacking in the rest of the political elite.
May Allah save Islam from Pakistanis.
G ali,
your thinking indicates future..thats why your country has vibrating with each day with blast news. jo dusro ki liye gadda khodta hai..ek din khud usame gir jata hai .LOL
thanks for destroying your country yourself.
First, what a really sad day this is for Pakistan. I never did like Salman Taseer but in his death he has become the symbol of good things more than he was in his death. May he rest in peace.
Second, another excellent post by Prof. Najam. Right on the mark. Saying the tough truth with conviction and with courage.
Third, I have spent more than an hour reading through the comments. I am glad ATP did not moderate these out (though I suspect they actually have deleted a lot of the really nasty ones). On the one hand I am disgusted by the hatred that drips through many of the comments. At another I think ATP has again captured the essence of the real Pakistan and its real divisions. These comments represent the real depth of the divisions in the country. I don’t think the whole country is defined by Qadris just as the whole country is not defined by Taseers. That is the problem, we are a deeply divided country and this incident and the reactions to it highlight just how deeply divided we are.
Once again ATP has helped me understand my Pakistan better. But this time it has left me deeply worried and sad.